Crossing-gate.



No. 683,769. Patented (lot. I, l90l. W. E. JENKINS 81. J. B. SMITH. CROSSING GATE.

'(Application filed Dec. 21. 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

| TI l 1% n1: ncnms zrzns co; wow-Luna. WASNINGTOM, n. c.

No. 683,769. Patented Oct. 1, |90|.' w. E. JENKINS & J. n. smnu.

CROSSING GATE.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1900.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Shet 2.

In. v I I! A 1 u WITNESSES THE nonms mans 0a., PHOTO-DINO WASHINGTON, n, c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM EDWARD JENKINS AND JOHN DANIEL SMITH, or GOLDSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

CROSSING-GATE.

S?ECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 683,769, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed December 21, 1900. Serial No.'40,652. (No model.)

To aZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM EDWARD JENKINS and J OHN DANIEL SMITH, citizens of the United States,and residents of Goldsboro, in the county of Wayne and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Crossing- Gate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in gates for railway-crossings; and the object is to provide a gate with an actuating mechanism of simple construction, not liable to get out of order, and adapted to be controlled by a train passing over the track, thus dispensing with the services of a man, as usually employed for operating the gate.

\Ve will describe a crossing-gate embodying our invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a gate and operating mechanism embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view. Fig. 5 isasection showing the position of parts when the gate is closed. Fig. 6 is a similar section, but showing the position of parts when the gate is open; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a resetting device employed.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a gate of the usual bar form and pivotally connected to a post or standard 6, and on the end of the gate 5 is a weight 7, designed to move the gate to its open position. To regulate the closing movement of the gate, or rather to prevent its closing too rapidly, we employ an air-compressing device, consisting of a cylinder 8, having swinging connection 9 with a base-plate 10, and within the cylinder is a piston 11, having its stem 12 pivotally connected to the weight 7 of the gate. While the gate is closing the piston 11 will be moved downward within the cylinder and the air underneath the same will gradually escape through an escape-valve 12, which maybe regulated as desired.

Mounted on the base-plate is a cylinder 13, within which a tubular plunger 14 is movable. This tubular plunger is closed at its lower end, and between said lower end and I being designed to engage upon the upper end of said plunger 14, as plainly indicated in the drawings. The piston 15 has a link connection 16 with the weighted end of the gate.

Arranged along the track at any desired distance at opposite sides of the gate are rock-shafts 17, and loosely mounted on the rock-shafts are upwardly-extended arms 18, designed to be engaged by the flanges of wheels of a locomotive or train. Connected to each arm 18 is a cross-arm 19, designed to engage with an arm 20, rigidly attached to and extended upward from the rock-shaft, and from these cross-armslt) springs 21 22 extend in opposite directions and connect with the ties upon which the rails of the track are mounted. These springs 21 and 22 serve to move the arms 18 to normal upright position after a train shall have passed, and the rock-shaft is returned to its normal position by means of springs 23 and 24, connecting with an upwardly-extending arm 25 on said rock-shaft and also connecting with ties or the like at the opposite side of the rockshaft, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. The object in loosely mounting the arms 18 on the rock-shafts is to permit the rocking thereof without moving the rock-shafts by a train backing over the track. On the end of each rock-shaft 17 nearest the gate is an upwardlyextended arm or tappet 26, designed to engage with a push-rod 27, arranged along the track and connecting at its end with an angle-lever 28, designed to engage with a pushrod 29, having connection with one end of a lever 30, pivoted to a bracket 31, the other end of said lever being attached to a latch 32, movable in an offset 33 from the cylinder 13,. this latch being designed to engage the upper end of thevtubular plunger 14 to hold it in its lowermost position against the resistance of the spring 15, as indicated in Fi 6. The locking bolt or latch 32 is moved to its locking position by means of a spring 31.

A resetting device for the plunger 14 consists of a lever 35, pivoted to a standard 36, arranged on the base-plate 10, and having link connection 37 with a pin 38, connected to the plunger 1st and extended through a slot 39, formed in the wall of the cylinder 13. Connected to the opposite end of the lever 35 is a lever 40, pivoted to a swinging hanger 41, depending from a plate 42, upon which the angle-levers 28 are mounted. This lever 41 has its end extended inward beneath the outer rail 43 of the track nearest the gate, and extended upward from said end of the lever 40 and through a plate 42 is a pushrod 43, designed to be engaged and forced downward by the wheel of a locomotive or car. Loosely connecting with this push-rod 43 is a rock-shaft 44, which extends underneath the rails to the track adjacent to the track nearest the gate, and at the end of said rock-shaft is a push bar or rod 45, designed to be engaged by the wheel of a locomotive or car passing over the track within which said push bar or rod 45 is placed.

In operation a train approaching the crossing will strike an arm 18, which by engaging with the arm 20 will rock the shaft 17, cansing its tappet or arm 25 to engage the end of the push-bar 27, which in its movement will rock the angle-lever 28 to engage one of its members against the push-bar 29, moving it forward, and consequently through. the medium of the lever 30 moving the bolt or latch 32 out of engagement with the plunger 14:. When thus released, the spring 15 will move said plunger with the piston 15 upward, moving the gate to its closed position. As the locomotive reaches the crossing its front wheel will engage with the push-bar 43, forcing it downward and rocking the levers 40 and 35 in such direction as to draw the plunger 14E downward, which when in its lowermost position will be again locked by the bolt 32. The weight 7 of the gate will then operate to move the gate to its open position.

While we have shown but two tracks in the drawings, it is obvious that when more tracks are placed side by side the operating rockshafts may be extended to be engaged by trains passing over any of said tracks.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A crossing-gate, comprising a swinging bar, means for moving the bar to open position, a swinging cylinder, a piston operating in the cylinder and having a connection with the bar, a fixed cylinder, a plunger in said fixed cylinder, a spring for moving the plunger upward, a piston movable in the fixed cylinder and also movable relatively to the plunger and having connection with the gatebar, a locking device for the plunger, and

means operated by a train for releasing the locking device, substantially as specified.

2. Acrossing-gate, comprisingabarmounted to swing vertically, a weight on said bar for moving it to an open position, a swinging cylinder, a piston operating in said cylinder and having connection with the weighted end of the gate, a controlling-valve at the lower end of said cylinder, a fixed cylinder, a tubular plunger arranged in said fixed cylinder, a spring arranged between the lower end of said tubular plunger and the bottom of the cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder and also movable relatively to the tubular plunger, a link connection between said piston and the weighted'end of the gate, a locking device for the tubular plunger, means operated by a train for releasing said looking device, and means operated by a train for moving the tubular plunger to its lowermost position, substantially as specified.

3. Acrossing-gate, comprisinga vertically swinging bar, a cylinder arranged at one side thereof, a plunger operating in the cylinder, a piston movable in the cylinder and relatively to the plunger, a link connection between said piston and the gate, a springpressed latch for engaging with the plunger,

a lever attached to said latch, a push-rod extended from. the lever, angle-levers adapted for engagement with said push-rod, rods connected. to members of said angle-levers and extended along the track, and rock-shafts adapted to be operated by a passing train for moving said rods, substantially as specified.

t. A crossing-gate comprising a swinging bar, a cylinder arranged at one side thereof, a plunger operating in the cylinder, a spring for moving said plunger upward, a piston movable in the cylinder and relatively to the plunger, a connection between said piston and the gate, a locking device for the plunger, means actuated by a moving train for releasing said locking device, a lever arranged adjacent to the cylinder, alink connection between said lever and the plunger, a lever having pivotal connection with thefirstnamed lever and having an end extended between the raiis of the track, and a push-bar operated by the train for moving said lever,

, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

YVILLIAM EDWARD JENKINS.

JOHN DANIEL SMITH. Witnesses:

W. K. STANLEY, W. O. BOWAN. 

